Years ago, when the Kindle first came out, and the Nook came out, it seemed to me that Barnes & Noble was way ahead of Amazon. Better device, better price, better book selection. Have had 3 different Nooks, from the Nook Color, to the Nook Tablet, to the Nook HD. Loved them. They even partnered with Microsoft to convert all of my .lit (Microsoft reader) files into epubs so I could read them again. They used an open source file format. I could download my books and read them on my computer, Nook, tablet or (at that time Android) phone.
B&N did some things that pissed me off a bit. I got a Windows Phone, and they never came out with a Windows Phone app, so I couldn't read my books on the phone, forcing me to jump through hoops to remove the DRM on my books so I could read them in alternative ePub readers on my phone. Then they stopped allowing you to download the books, so I had to jump through even more hoops. They also started adding more and more Google onto their devices, and came out with the latest one, which is an Android Galaxy Tab 4, which is riddled with Google, as are all things Android now. I determined I would not buy the next Nook, and began to look for alternatives. I was really looking at the small Windows 8.1 tablets for when the time came that my Nook didn't function anymore, because B&N did make a Windows 8.1 app.
Meanwhile, Amazon had totally pissed me off by no longer supporting the ePub format, so if I got a Kindle, I couldn't read my existing library on it, and going with a proprietary file format. They also refused to carry certain books of the conservative stripe, to which I belong. They did have some books, however, that B & N didn't have. And they have an app for every device I own. I actually bought a book from them and read it on my phone and my Surface, because B & N didn't have it.
Well my Nook is still going strong - but my eyes are not. I'm having some eye issues, and backlit screens just really aren't good for them. I had previously looked at the Nook Simple Glo devices, but they were pretty bad, the LED lighting being so uneven as to be unreadable for me. Well it got to a point where I just wasn't going to be able to read very much (meaning not for any extended period of time as my eyes would get too tired) on backlit devices. Books don't work either as the print is too small, and my hands don't like holding them either.
So I investigated the Kindles, and saw their eInk/ePaper device, the Voyage. I got one. I am thrilled with it! I am also thrilled with the ebook management program Calibre, to which I owe all my thanks for being able to convert my ebooks from one format to another and to remove the DRM (digital rights management) code from both B&N and Amazon books. (Not written or supplied by Calibre, but by a plugin written by Apprentice Alf!
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One thing I love about the Kindle, is its dictionary. The Nook uses Merriam Webster - not my favorite dictionary. The Kindle uses the Oxford American, my absolute favorite dictionary, and also provides the Oxford English, and you can use both, and choose which you want as your default. Also, both dictionaries open as books, so you can use them even if you aren't looking up a word in one of your books.
It has a great feature called Vocabulary builder, which aggragates all the words you have looked up during your reading and lets you return to those to learn better later, including showing you the context in which they occurred.
The screen can go from very bright, to very dim, very easily - your choice - or automatic. (I'm not sure automatic is really working though.)
It's really thin and light. 6.3 ounces. I bought mine without advertisements - I'm allergic to advertisements. Cost me an extra $20. Oh well.
You can get one with 3G if you want, but I don't need it.
Battery life is terrific, goes for days. And, it doesn't cause strain on my eyes. It is true that were it not for Calibre and Apprentice Alf, I would not be so happy - but we are truly fortunate to have both. Now I can buy books from either store, and convert them to run on any device.
In short, I love the Kindle Voyage.
Long post, but I thought some might find it interesting and maybe even helpful.